Six red-hot stars to watch out for during the international break (with 37/1 acca)

Updated on 11:56am GMT 10 November 2020

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Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.

Attentions turn to international football endeavours this week and with crucial Euro 2020 playoffs, intriguing Nations League tussles and numerous friendly fixtures on the horizon, there is plenty of top-class action to look forward to.

The November international break is layered thick with subplots and storylines worth following, and there are a number of in-form superstars hoping to transfer their scintillating domestic performances to the world stage this week.

Below we take at look at some of the combatants ready to carry their hot-streaks and purple patches with them from club level on to the national team scene in our list of players to watch out for during the international break.

Remember – we’ll be covering all the action in detail with exclusive betting tips on our football predictions page.

Diogo Jota (Portugal)

Diminutive Portuguese attacker Diogo Jota has been making waves on Merseyside of late, and Liverpool’s summer acquisition will have momentum to burn this week following a run of six goals in five appearances for his new employers.

Jota’s recent surge included a sensational Champions League hattrick for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in their emphatic 5-0 win at Atalanta, and fresh from a brace in his last runout for Portugal against Sweden last month, the 23-year-old will be targeting more goals against either Andorra, France or Croatia.

Anthony Martial (France)

Flying French forward Anthony Martial has had a stop-start season for Man Utd so far, though the 24-year-old has shown signs of a resurgence following his recent return from a three-match suspension.

Martial notched goals in two of his last three runouts for United, in Champions League tests against RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir, and while the ex-Monaco man failed to find the net against Everton on Saturday, Martial’s competent all-round display allowed him to continue along an upward performance trajectory.

The enigmatic line leader has never really produced the goods when called upon for Les Bleus, as evidenced by a paltry return of one goal in 23 appearances for France, however, with Martial will hope to harness some recent confidence-building performances to get among the goals against either Finland, Portugal or Sweden this week.

Moise Kean (Italy)

Written off as a flop following his underwhelming spell with Everton, Italy starlet Moise Kean has been rebuilding his reputation with PSG in France this term, and the 20-year-old carries excellent goal-getting form into this week’s internationals.

Kean has been feeling his way into first team contention at the Parc de Princes, though a run of five goals in as many games for the Parisian behemoths has pushed him to the cusp of a regular starting berth.

The former Juventus youngster will hope to see some minutes for the Azzurri against either Estonia, Poland or Bosnia-Herzegovina this week, and Kean’s increasingly potent touch in the final third makes him a danger man worth watching.

Robert Lewandowski (Poland)

Somewhat inevitably, Polish hot-shot Robert Lewandowski added to his haul for the campaign in Bayern’s 3-2 Der Klassiker triumph over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, taking his tally up to an incredible 13 goals in 10 Bundesliga and Champions League appearances this term.

For Poland, Lewa’s output remains just as consistent, and ahead of the latest round of international fixtures, the deadly 32-year-old is in the midst of a sequence of six goals in six appearances for the Biało-czerwoni.

Poland will need their talisman to produce more magic to take anything from a tough run of matches against Ukraine, Italy and the Netherlands this week, though Lewandowski is rarely one to disappoint.

Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain)

Real Sociedad skipper Mikel Oyarzabal was named La Liga’s player of the month for October following a string of impactful displays for the division’s early-front runners, and the 23-year-old will be out to add to his swelling reputation when he dons Spain’s famous red shirt this week.

With five goals and two assists in his last seven games for La Real, Oyarzabal has been leading by example at club level, and with places up for grabs in La Roja’s ever changing frontline under Luiz Enrique, the versatile attacker has a real chance to stake a claim.

Oyarzabal’s record of three goals in nine appearances for Spain is an impressive record for a player of his relative inexperience, and the Eibar-born schemer has the tools to make a splash against Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany if given the nod.

Erling Haaland (Norway)

Norwegian prodigy Erling Haaland’s finishing has been razor sharp in recent weeks, and the 20-year-old will be aiming to notch for the sixth game on the bounce when the turns out against Israel on Wednesday evening.

While Haaland’s record at club level – where he has scored 10 goals in eight Bundesliga and Champions League starts for Dortmund – remains remarkably consistent, the rapidly developing wonderkid’s influence for his country has also been steadily rising.

Haaland’s bounty of five goals in his last four starts for Norway included a brace against Northern Ireland and stunning hattrick against Romania, and the prolific poacher will be looking to fill his boots again at international level this week before the resumption of the club football campaign.